1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to wireless monitoring, and more particularly to a video monitoring system that is, at least in part, integrated with a cordless telephone system.
2. Background of the Invention
Problem to be solved. With a perceived need for increased security and surveillance, many homeowners have installed front door video cameras and/or “nanny cams” in their homes. Examples of known video monitoring systems include:
(1) “CyberEye,” which is a device that senses motion and takes a still picture. The picture is then viewed by connecting the device to an external TV monitor or VCR. This system supports only black and white pictures and uses infrared illumination. More information about this product can be found at http://nservices.com/cybereye.htm;
(2) “VisionTech VT12WP” is a 2.4 GHz high power wireless video system including a camera that requires line of sight between the camera and a receiver. This system is more suitable for commercial applications and, in comparison to systems with similar functionality, is very costly. More information about this product can be found at http://www.visiontechintl.com/pdf/vt12wp.pdf; and
(3) “TBO-Tech ST-103W” uses a passive motion detector that is wired to a separate 2.4 GHz wireless camera and receiver. The receiver also must be connected to an external TV or VCR to view images. More information about this product can be found at http://www.hiddenpinholecameras.com/motion-detector.htm.
Nokia offers a product that includes a camera that can be programmed to take images automatically at a designated time interval and send the images to a mobile telephone that is multimedia message-enabled and has a color screen. Alternatively, the camera can be configured to send images to an email address from which the images can be viewed. While the Nokia system offers users the ability to remotely monitor images that a camera picks up, the camera in the Nokia system is actually a mobile telephone that sends images over a GSM wireless network. Thus, owners of the Nokia system are required to subscribe to at least one wireless service account for the camera, and if wireless telephone access is desired, a second subscription must be entered into for the user's multimedia message-enabled telephone. The prospect of having to pay for and manage separate wireless service subscriptions is undesirable for most consumers, especially those with lower incomes. More information about this Nokia product can be found at http://www.nokia.com.nokia/0,4879,4654,00.html.
Kador Ltd. offers another in-home imaging system. This system comprises a stand alone digital camera with a built-in modem. The camera takes pictures and sends them over PSTN telephone lines to a computer selected by the user. While simpler in overall architecture compared to the Nokia system just described, the Kador system is severely limited in that the user must have access to a computer that is always connected to the PSTN. More information about this product can be found at http://www.kador.com/remote.htm.
VPON, or Video Picture On Net, is yet another remote image system. VPON is advertised as a plug-&-play remote video camera server that has a built-in mini web server that provides real time video capture and streaming over the internet, an intranet, or direct telephone connection. Like the Kador system, however, the VPON system also requires access to, at the very least, a computer. More information about this product can be found at http://www.vpon21.com/.
There are also a wide variety of home monitoring systems that rely on analog video that is captured by one or more cameras and fed to a transceiver. The transceiver is connected to the PSTN. A similar transceiver is provided at another end of a PSTN connection and is connected to a video monitor, such as a television set. When a call is established between the two transceivers, analog video signals from the cameras are sent over the PSTN and can be monitored remotely. One such system is described at http://www.youdoitsecurity.com/remote-surveillanceequipment.asp.
Still other known monitoring systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,476,858, “Video Monitoring and Security System,” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,433,683, “Multipurpose Wireless Video Alarm Device and System.”
Despite the availability of a wide variety of video monitoring systems as exemplified by the products and systems mentioned above, there is still a need for improvements in this field of technology.